The present invention generally relates to the field of air compressors, and more particularly to an air compressor having a removable manifold assembly capable of being remotely located from the air compressor for controlling and distributing compressed air from the air compressor to one or more air powered tools.
Air compressors are used to provide compressed air for operating air powered tools such as nailing tools, socket driving tools, material shaping tools, sanding tools, spray painting tools, inflation chucks, and the like. Frequently, it is desirable to operate several tools from air supplied by a single air compressor. In such instances, the air outlet port or xe2x80x9cpressure manifoldxe2x80x9d of the air compressor is fitted with an adapter allowing the attachment and removal of multiple air hoses for providing air to operate several air powered tools at once. However, in many applications, the air compressor must be located remotely from the workers utilizing the tools for which it provides air. For instance, at a typical construction site, a single air compressor may be required to provide air to operate a plurality of tools, which, because of the physical layout of the site, are used at locations where the air compressor cannot be transported. For example, workers may be working in an upper story of an unfinished building while the air compressor is located on the first story. Similarly, wherein the air compressor is driven by an electric motor, it may be desirable to situate the air compressor near a source of electrical power such as an electrical outlet, an electrical generator, a vehicle, or the like. As a result, the amount of air hose required to couple the air compressor to each tool is greatly increased, in many cases becoming unwieldy to store and transport. Further, because workers are remotely located from the air compressor, they often cannot readily access the air compressor""s pressure regulator and pressure gauges to control the amount of pressure being provided to their tools.
Consequently, it would be advantageous to provide an air compressor having a removable manifold assembly that can be remotely located from the air compressor and attached thereto via a single air hose for distributing compressed air from the air compressor to multiple air powered tools. Such a manifold assembly should provide means for adjusting the air pressure provided to the air powered tools and for indicating pressures within the compressed air storage tank and manifold outlet pressure remotely.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a manifold assembly for an air compressor that is capable of controlling and distributing compressed air from the air compressor to one or more air powered tools. The manifold assembly may be attached directly to the air compressor, or, alternately, removed from the air compressor and coupled thereto via a conduit such as an air hose or the like, so that the manifold assembly can be used at locations remote from the air compressor. In exemplary embodiments of the invention, the manifold assembly may include a pressure regulator assembly for regulating the pressure of air provided to the air powered tools and indicators for indicating the pressure of compressed air in the air compressor""s compressed air storage tank and/or the manifold assembly""s outlet pressure.